


Chink in the Armour

by allypx



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s02e13 Exit Wounds, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-15
Updated: 2012-10-15
Packaged: 2017-11-16 09:03:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/537759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allypx/pseuds/allypx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Exit Wounds Jack takes drastic action to help Ianto come to terms with events.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chink in the Armour

**Author's Note:**

> This was intended as a prologue to a series that never got finished.
> 
> Beta by: czarina_kitty

The water of Cardiff Bay was ablaze with the vivid orange reflection of the sun as it rose above the horizon. The lighted windows of the nearby apartments seemed pale in comparison as the buildings were bathed in the soft light of the sunrise.

Jack Harkness paused a moment to appreciate the view as he left the Hub via the information office. The sight of the sunrise was reassuring, reminding him that the universe continued on its journey even amid the destruction and chaos that went on in and around it. Cardiff had been laid to waste at the hands of his own brother, but it was rapidly recovering, rebuilding.

The remainder of his shattered team had reacted completely in character to the loss of Toshiko and Owen. Gwen's outpouring of grief and anger was directed mostly at Gray, frequently at John Hart and occasionally even at Jack himself. Her initial doubts about remaining at Torchwood were quickly swept aside in her relentless pursuit of answers to questions that Jack had no answer to.

Gwen had turned to Rhys for support while she mourned her friends, and Jack was relieved about that, on more than one count. He was struggling to contain his own grief and feelings of guilt at losing two members of his team and could not begin to contemplate having to be a full time support to Gwen - she had a loving husband and it was only right that Rhys be the one to fulfil that role.

Jack was more worried about Ianto. In the initial days after losing Toshiko and Owen, Jack watched with increasing concern as his lover carried out his own duties, and as many of Toshiko's as he was able to, with a ruthless efficiency. He adopted what Jack privately called his Before-We-Found-Lisa-Face and resisted all of Jack's attempts to talk about what had happened, simply saying that he was fine and that Jack was not to worry.

After two weeks passed without the slightest sign of Ianto even beginning to mourn his colleagues and yet another night spent with Ianto curled up as small as possible on the other side of the bed, discouraging any form of physical contact with Jack at all. Jack lay awake and began to worry that the walls that Ianto had built up around himself would never come down.

Finally, in desperation, Jack decided it was time to bring in the big guns, and the next day he stole Ianto’s phone while he was in the shower and made a call.

Ianto was sitting at the table in his kitchen cradling a cup of cooling coffee in his hands and trying not to look at the plate of pasta that Jack had put in front of him, certain that if he put as much as one forkful in his mouth he would just throw it straight back up. When the entry phone to his apartment buzzed he mechanically got to his feet to go and answer it, but sat back down on the chair at the sound of Jack’s boots walking down the hallway.

“I’ve got it, Ianto.”

Ianto heard a hushed conversation in the hallway between Jack and whoever was at the door, and then the sound of Jack’s footsteps and those of a woman's shoes. Gwen then, he reasoned.

It wasn’t Gwen who appeared in the doorway to his kitchen though. Ianto looked up from his cup of coffee into the very worried face of Rhiannon. Jack, the bastard, had called his _sister_ , and Ianto was going to kill him. Trust Jack to find the one chink in his armour, the one person who could always see right through him; his sister.

Rhiannon was still standing in the doorway as her brother stared at her. She shifted uncomfortably, Jack’s hand warm on her shoulder.

“Ianto?” she said, her voice shaking slightly.

Ianto had never been able to hide anything from Rhiannon, even when they had been kids. It was the reason he had kept his distance from her when he returned to Cardiff from London, knew he would never be able to keep Lisa a secret if he had so much as heard Rhiannon’s voice. Most people have someone that they can never hide their true feelings from, and Ianto’s was Rhiannon.

As he looked again into her concerned eyes, Ianto’s face crumpled and his eyes filled with tears. Rhiannon gave Jack a stricken look as she rushed across the room to her brother. Ianto wound his arms tightly around her waist and pressed his face against her stomach. Rhiannon held him close, rubbing his back gently and stroking his hair. Ianto cried silently, tears streaming down his face, his body shaking. He cried for Owen and Toshiko, for poor tortured Gray lying in a cryo- chamber in the Hub and for Jack, buried for two thousand years and coming back only to lose his one remaining relative.

Rhiannon whispered soothing nonsense but otherwise made no attempt to stop the torrent of tears, tightening her hold on Ianto when the shaking intensified, just as though he were David or Mica. Just as she had when he was a child, when she had been sister and mother both to him. Ianto adored his big sister as a boy and whether it was a scraped knee or playground bullies, there was nothing that she couldn’t make better. Owen and Toshiko were dead, but everything would be okay, because Rhiannon was still here.

Rhiannon gestured to Jack, who had retreated to the sofa to give the siblings some privacy, to return to the kitchen area.

 

Ianto had quietened, save for his hiccoughing apologies. Jack kissed him gently on the head and pulled up a chair to sit beside him. Ianto lifted his head to look at Jack. His eyes still glittered with unfallen tears, but Jack was relieved to see that the previously blank expression had now gone. Ianto attempted a watery smile at him, loosened his hold on Rhiannon, and curled into Jack instead. Jack looked over Ianto’s head at Rhiannon, her face streaked with mascara, and mouthed “thank you”. Rhiannon kissed Ianto on the cheek and smiled at Jack before leaving the room. She sunk down on the sofa and fumbled in her bag for a tissue. She heard Jack talking in a low voice to her brother and then after a few minutes heard the sound of scraping chairs and Jack came into the room.

“I’ve made you some tea,” he said, offering her a mug, “Ianto’s gone to bed. He said he’d call you later.” She took the mug and took a sip of the hot tea. Jack sat on the coffee table in front of her, his own mug in hand. Rhiannon thought he looked exhausted too. They drank the tea in silence.

At length, Jack looked up at her and said, “Thank you for coming...I...I couldn’t help him and I didn’t know what else to do.”

Rhiannon lent forward to put her mug on the coffee table and laid a hand on Jack’s arm.

“He’s my brother, Jack. I’m glad you called me. Will he be okay?” she asked. Jack looked at her and smiled.

“He will now.”

“And what about you?”

Jack looked in the direction of the bedroom. “I have him, I’ll be ok.”

They smiled at each other and Rhiannon stood up.

“We’ll, I’d better be off. The kids will be home from school and I don’t suppose Johnny will’ve thought to get their tea on.”

As he helped her on with her coat, Jack kissed her on the cheek and enveloped her in a hug.

“Thank you. I’ll make sure he calls you when he wakes up.”

Rhiannon nodded and let herself out.

Jack returned to the darkened bedroom.. As he undressed, he looked down at the still sleeping Ianto, curled up on one side of the bed. Jack sank wearily onto the bed and closed his eyes. He felt a warm hand slide across his stomach as Ianto turned over and draped himself over Jack without even waking. Jack let out a relieved sigh. The wall was breached.

 

Jack watched as the sun rose steadily in in the sky and shook himself from his reverie. He ran up the stairs near the tourist office and on reaching the top scanned the area of the Plas. He finally spotted the subject of his search leaning against the railing outside red brick Pierhead Building.

Ianto Jones stood looking out across the Bay towards the Barrage. There was a slight chill in the air that the early morning sun had yet to warm. He shivered slightly and wished that he had thought to bring a coat with him. Ianto heard Jack approach him and felt a warm hand in the small of his back. He turned to greet Jack and the kiss that Jack had intended for his cheek met his mouth instead. Jack smiled and kissed him again.

"Hey," Jack said gently "I woke up and you weren't there."

"Sorry" Ianto said, "couldn't sleep."

"Really? I thought all that err...exercise last night might've worn you out." Jack sounded amused. His hand moved tighter around Ianto's waist.

Ianto laughed quietly, his shoulders shaking. He shook his head and looked at Jack indulgently, before turning his gaze back out across the Bay. "Isn't it beautiful? The sunrise?" Jack nodded in agreement.

"You know, Owen told me that after he died, he liked to watch them too, that with not sleeping it helped him to keep a track of the days," Jack almost held his breath as he waited for Ianto to continue. This was the first time he had heard Ianto talk about either Owen or Toshiko.

"Of course, that was after he died the _first_ time..." Ianto clarified, somewhat unnecessarily. He turned to look at Jack with sad eyes. "They're not coming back, are they?"

Jack shook his head. "No. No they're not."

Ianto let out a shaky sigh. "For the first couple of weeks after they..." He halted and drew in a deep breath. "Well, sounds stupid now..."

"Tell me, what sounds stupid?" Jack encouraged Ianto to continue.

"I hoped it was like when you were away with the Doctor. Like you explained." Ianto said in a small voice.

"Oh, Ianto" Jack pulled the younger man into a full embrace. "There _was_ no paradox this time. You know they can't come back, don't you?"

Ianto nodded into Jack's shoulder. "But I prayed so hard, Jack."

"I know. I know you did." Jack struggled to keep his voice steady, wanting to remain strong for his lover. Ianto's hold around Jack tightened before he pulled away slightly. When he looked at Jack his blue eyes were lit with a steely determination,

"But we have to carry on, don't we? You and me, and Gwen. It’s what Owen and Tosh would do."

"Yeah, it is." Jack agreed, nodding.

"So, better get on with it then. If Owen could see me now..." Ianto rolled his eyes, "He'd never let me hear the end of it." He gave Jack a wry smile.

Jack laughed and rubbed his hand along Ianto's arm. "You're freezing, let’s get you inside, yeah?"

"Okay," Ianto agreed, "I'll let you buy me breakfast, if you like."

"I like." said Jack, happily. He grabbed Ianto by the hand and led them around the corner of the building."I'm thinking coffee, toast with chocolate spread..."

Ianto pulled a face. "I can't think of a worse thing to put on toast."

Jack turned to face him, his hands resting on Ianto's hips. "Well, if you're _really_ good, maybe later we could use the chocolate spread to..." He leant in to whisper in Ianto's ear.

"Oh, yeah." Ianto breathed. "That sounds like a _much_ better use for it." The smile on his face faded away as he noticed something over Jack's shoulder. "What the hell is that?"

Jack span around just in time to see a pulsing ball of blue-white light strike the top of the water tower and disappear. "Some sort of temporal pulse, I think." he said, checking his wristband."But it looks like it's gone into the Hub."

"Jack," Ianto said slowly. "Was Gwen in when you left?" The two men looked at one another then began to run across the Plas.


End file.
